IMDb RATING
7.5/10
43K
YOUR RATING
Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 14 nominations
Kim Yeong-cheol
- Mr. Kang
- (as Kim Young-Chul)
Hwang Jung-min
- President Baek
- (as Jeong-min Hwang)
Kim Roe-ha
- Mun-suk
- (as Roe-ha Kim)
Kim Hae-gon
- Weapon smuggler
- (as Hae-gon Kim)
Eric Moon
- Gun Dealer's Brother
- (as Eric)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Korean title "Dalkomhan Insaeng" and the name of the bar "La Dolce Vita" translate to "The Sweet Life". As an ironic touch the International English title is called "A Bittersweet Life".
- GoofsToward the end of the film, when Kim Sun-woo is walking down the corridor searching for his former boss, a guard sitting and reading a newspaper gets up to stop him. Kim Sun-woo shoots him but his gun is not pointed at the guard. Rather, it is clearly pointed at the wall where fake blood appears after the shot like a paint gun.
- Quotes
Sun-woo: One late autumn night, the disciple awoke crying. So the master asked the disciple, "Did you have a nightmare?" "No." "Did you have a sad dream?" "No," said the disciple. "I had a sweet dream." "Then why are you crying so sadly?" The disciple wiped his tears away and quietly answered, "Because the dream I had can't come true."
- Alternate versionsTwo versions of the film exist, the original theatrical version and the director's cut. The director's cut's edits include slight cutting and re-arrangement of scenes, swapping music placement and some additional scenes that do not appear in the original version of the film.
- ConnectionsReferences La Dolce Vita (1960)
Featured review
Spectacular-South Korea does it again
This masterpiece comes from the director of Tales of Two Sisters and he delivers an epic tale of revenge.
I can't urge you enough to see this movie. The gun battles are reminiscent of Scarface, the martial arts are gritty and realistic, the poignancy of unrequited love is painful, there is a deep philosophical current that underlies this film, and the camera work is superb-but that's not what carries the movie. The actor who plays the main character is what sets this magnificent movie apart from the trash put out by Hollywood. He's a man's man-sharply dressed in well tailored suits driving in a BMW sedan (like the transporter)through beautiful Seoul (showing what a beautiful, spotless, and vibrant city it is). He reaches the point of no return and his vengeance and determination are a tour de force.
Magnificent. Bravo. South Korean films reign supreme.
I can't urge you enough to see this movie. The gun battles are reminiscent of Scarface, the martial arts are gritty and realistic, the poignancy of unrequited love is painful, there is a deep philosophical current that underlies this film, and the camera work is superb-but that's not what carries the movie. The actor who plays the main character is what sets this magnificent movie apart from the trash put out by Hollywood. He's a man's man-sharply dressed in well tailored suits driving in a BMW sedan (like the transporter)through beautiful Seoul (showing what a beautiful, spotless, and vibrant city it is). He reaches the point of no return and his vengeance and determination are a tour de force.
Magnificent. Bravo. South Korean films reign supreme.
helpful•10826
- mmeyers-4
- Feb 11, 2006
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $10,080,808
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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